


When It Rains

by ChocolateCannibal



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fix-It, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-03-30 03:25:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13941561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateCannibal/pseuds/ChocolateCannibal
Summary: Naruto let him go.





	1. Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> The original story isn't showing up in tags/searches, so this is a repost along with a new chapter. Tell me what ya think!

Naruto let him go.

The moron spent –what? Four, five,  _six_ \- years chasing after him. And then he let Sasuke leave. Just like that. No yelling, not a single word of protest, not even the threat of a fight.

It was for the best. The terrain around Konoha couldn’t handle another epic battle between two over-powered god-like shinobi.

So, what was this feeling? It followed him everywhere for weeks. Sasuke couldn’t name it. He couldn’t see or process this- this dark shape hovering in his periphery.

He was… Bothered? Yes. And empty, but hopeful. Expectant… Frustrated? Like he thought he would sneeze, but it never came, so he just sat there gasping like an idiot.

Yeah. That’s as close as he can get to explaining that... Whatever.

Sasuke walked until he couldn’t walk anymore. He paid no heed to the scenery or direction. The constant overcast darkened to a drizzle, which exploded to a torrid downpour. He set up camp in a cave to wait it out. As he waited, Sasuke read, meditated, ate some dried meat, and thought.

There was a lot to think about.

The headband, for instance.

He traced the scar that cut horizontally across the dull steel surface, bisecting Konoha’s beloved symbol. A pang of sweet-sharp pain zinged through his chest. Sasuke clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and leaned back onto the rough, rocky wall.

Inhale.

_Warm, wet, bright. It hurt. It hurt so much. His hand inside his best (first, last, only) friend. Naruto bled. Naruto cried, screamed, and begged. He was hurt. Sasuke hurt him, damn near killed him and for what?_

Exhale.

 _Nothing_.  _The world without that light would be dull, dark and meaningless. That’s why he gladly offered his own life the first time, ‘failed’ to kill him the next, and eventually surrendered._

Deep breath. He wiped a stray drop of moisture- probably rain brought in by a gust of wind- and opened his eyes.

“Hi ya, Sasuke-bastard.”

So… He either fell asleep, or was seeing things.

“Your eyes don’t deceive you,” the Naruto-like apparition grinned, “It’s really me.”

That’s exactly what his subconscious would say. Sasuke closed his eyes and willed the hallucination to vanish.

“Oy, don’t ignore me, asshole. You haven’t seen your best friend in forever and this is how you treat him?”

Sasuke should be embarrassed. He spent so much time obsessing about that idiot (‘until things between us are resolved’) that his mind created this… Irritating imitation.

Why? Sasuke harbored no delusions  about his tenuous grip on reality. Madness runs in the family. Maybe he finally snapped.

Still… Could it be possible?

The Uchiha reached out to touch the orange-clad figment of his imagination. He drew back when his hand came in contact with something solid instead of simply passing through.

“Naruto?”

“Heh,” the blond caught Sasuke’s fingers and gave them a firm, reassuring squeeze, “The one and only.”

An ironic declaration from a guy known for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. At any given point in time, there could be several thousand Narutos scattered from here to Suna, loudly proclaiming their uniqueness.

“You’re really here.”

“Well, yeah. Would it kill you to crack a smile? At least pretend you’re happy to see me.”

“How did you find me?”

“Uh.” Naruto’s gaze flickered to the headband in Sasuke’s hand. The Uchiha clenched his fingers around it, feeling exposed. He didn’t want that idiot jumping to conclusions.

“The mark,” Sasuke said before the silence became awkward, “of course.” The Sage’s marks still connected them. Naruto probably used it to track him.

“Yeah, that!” he rubbed the back of his neck, “Totally, totally the hand-tattoo… Thing. It lead me right to ya!”

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. The idiot was clearly hiding something.

“But there’s no way you could…”

“Catch up?” Naruto finished, almost reading his mind, “Didn’t you say the same thing when we were kids? ‘Hn dobe, like you’d ever catch up to me.’ And yet here I am.”

“Why.”

“Why not?”

“Naruto.”

“I just missed you, ya know.”

“Don’t say such shameless things, usuratonkachi.”

“Any you totally missed me too.”

“Hn.”

Naruto grinned.

“Anyway, I thought you were sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake you up or anything but… Um… You look like you were crying or…” Sasuke glared. “Probably got something in your eye. Right. So. Hi.”

“You already said that.”

“You’re not gonna make this easy for me, are ya!?”

“Make what easy for you?”

“Uh. Just… Being with you.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

“On your travels, I mean. I’m coming with you, Sasuke.”

“No.”

“It wasn’t a question.”

“Go home. You belong in Konoha. You were training to be hokage.”

“Oh yeah, about that.”

Naruto told him the story.

Well, it wasn’t so much a story as it was two hours of continuous whining.

“… so boring, ya know. It’s just a lot of reading and signing stacks on stacks on  _stacks_  of documents, like what the fuck? Kakashi-sensei said it was only the tip of the iceberg, which got me thinking, you remember that mission we had in Snow Country? With that actress? Shit, she was hot. Anyway, the tip of the iceberg- the part you can see- is a lot smaller than the whole thing. Like, whoa, I did not sign up for that crap, ya know.”

“Hn.”

“So I said, I said keep the job, leave it, give it to whoever ya want as long as it’s not me. Turns out I wasn’t even the first in line. Sakura-chan, of all people, was their number one choice.”

“Makes sense.”

She was Tsunade’s apprentice, and an intelligent, capable kunoichi in her own right. Her insipid crush on Sasuke… Well, in light of everything, he could forgive her for it.

“Yeah. I guess so. Anyways, I was never…”

“What?”

“Never in Konoha for long when, uh, when you weren’t there too. Hadn’t thought about it before, but somehow, the whole place feels…” he coughed “anyway, I’m here now. Lead the way!”

“Naruto.”

“Yeah, yeah, ya prissy bastard. It’s raining. Guess we’ll have to wait it out.”

Naruto shifted, leaning on the cave wall next to Sasuke. Their shoulders touched. That single point of contact warmed Sasuke to the bone.

_I didn’t even realize I was cold._

“I’m gonna take a nap,” Naruto announced suddenly, “hope you don’t mind.”

What a loser. “Why would I mind if you- oy, what are you doing, idiot?”

The blond laid flat on the ground, resting his head on Sasuke’s thigh as if it was normal.

“I told you,” said idiot yawned, “’m taking a nap. Wake me up when it stops raining.”

Sasuke should have objected. Pushed him off, pushed him away, called him names, told him to go back home, something.

Instead, he moved his hand –his only hand- to rest gently on the other boys head. Long, pale fingers moved through soft yellow hair, untangling small knots and feeling the warmth underneath.

Naruto hummed softly and drifted off to sleep.

Some time later- he didn’t know how long- it hit him. Sasuke shifted, careful not to move his sleeping moron.  _The forehead protector._  He activated his sharingan, smirking when he found it: a teleportation seal.

 _So_ , he thought,  _I was wrong. You didn’t let me go._

How strange.

For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt free.


	2. It Pours

Sasuke stared.

Like, a lot. His eyes- well, technically just eye, what with the rinnegan and his bangs and okay back on topic- glazed over as they alternated between looking at the right side of Naruto’s chest and his bandaged arm.

“Sasuke, you’re doing it again.”

The Uchiha blinked, shook his head, and returned to skinning the rabbit. The bastard always insisted on setting up camp, doing all the hunting and cooking, taking first watch, yatta yatta, chores really suck balls, every single night.

At first Naruto thought Sasuke did it to be an ass. Like it was his way of saying ‘Tch. Idiot. You can’t be trusted to do anything right.’ Sure, it was annoying, but it also made him pretty nostalgic. He remembered cute little genin Sasuke- okay, so the bastard’s still  _technically_  a genin, but he’s definitely not twelve anymore- with his puffy arm warmers and permanent scowl (pout). Damn, he missed those days.

But there wasn’t a trace of that signature Uchiha arrogance in Sasuke’s actions. This made Naruto wonder if the jerk was actually trying to be…  _Nice_. And yeah, that’s what it was, but why? Sasuke wasn’t nice for no reason, not unless he was dealing with stray cats or homeless war orphans.

And why did he keep looking at Naruto like that, at the right side his chest, the place where-

Oh.

Well.

Fuck.

No, that wouldn’t do.

“If it’s not one thing,” Naruto grumbled, “it’s the other. Damn it.”

“What are you on about, dobe?”

“I’m tired of this shit. Give me the rabbit, teme.” The blond snatched the animal carcass from his rival and set to work.

They ate dinner in silence. The silence lingered into the next morning. It grew awkward, heavy, and unbearably boring. Not that Sasuke seemed to notice.

Clouds gathered, thickened, and rumbled. A faint flicker of lightning rippled in the distance. Naruto frowned.

_It’s going to rain again._

He hated rain. It reminded him too much of  _that day_  all those years ago. Ya know, the day Sasuke tried to- Shit. Naruto stopped walking and glared at the sky. He took a deep breath. Here it goes. No use putting it off anymore.

“Sasuke?”

“Hn.” The bastard halted a few paces away.

 _When’s the last time you looked me in the eye?_  Naruto sucked the inside of his cheek to distract from the burning pain in his chest. “Why’d you leave the village?” He asked instead.

Sasuke walked (sauntered) to a nearby tree. He leaned back on it, crossing his arms in his signature ‘cool guy’ pose. “Which time.”

“Hardy-har, smartass. Answer the damn question.”

_I’m talking about the most recent one. Don’t play dumb._

“I already told you.”

“Yeah, well. I’ve given it a lot of thought-“ Sasuke raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. Naruto fought the urge to punch that perfect Uchiha nose and settled for a “-shut up, bastard. Make your predictable jabs at my intelligence later, kay?” This comment earned him a genuine look of surprise. Which was even more insulting, but he had to stop getting distracted, damn it!

Naruto huffed, took a deep breath, and continued, “Anyways, that whole thing you said about redemption and trying things my way or whatever- most of it was a steaming load of shit. Dunno why it took me so long to figure it out,” Sauske smirked a little at this, “I  _said_ , shut up asshole- but oh, actually, it’s because the best lies always have a nugget of truth. That’s what Kaka-sensei said. You were always a good liar.”

“I’m a ninja,” Sasuke shrugged, “What’s your point?”

Naruto laced his fingers behind his head. He squinted at the a lone bird flying overhead. “You called this a journey of redemption, but… What exactly are you trying to make up for?”

For, like, the  _billionth_  time, Sasuke’s eye flickered down to the right side of Naruto’s chest and then to his bandaged arm.

“Sasuke.”

That’s when Sasuke knew that Naruto knew, and from the way the Uchiha started walking away, Naruto knew that Sasuke knew he knew- wait, is that- augh, not important!

“Sasuke!”

The Uchiha walked faster with his eyes fixed on the ground. “It’s going to rain again and the next town is-“

Suddenly, Naruto was in front of him (fuck yeah, teleportation!) holding him firmly by the shoulders and giving him That Look. The trademark Uzumaki glare of stubborn determination. He could see Sasuke debate internally, on whether or not he should fight it but the last time that happened, well.

_(It’s my loss.)_

Naruto took Sasuke’s hand. He brought it to his chest, pressing it against the fabric of his blazer.

“Feel that? See, it’s fine. No scar, nothing, almost like you,” he swallowed and cleared his throat, “it uh, never happened.”

By ‘it,’ he was referring to the fist-sized hole from their first fight at the valley.

Sasuke pursed his lips. He removed his hand from under Naruto’s, moving it to the zipper at the blond’s throat. Pulled it halfway down, then slid his hand under the fabric and pressed firmly against  _that place._ Something like lightning ( _chidori_ ) zinged through Naruto’s flesh at the point of contact, making his heart race. He shivered.

Sasuke made to pull away but Naruto tightened his grip. “And the new arm?” He chuckled a little breathlessly. “Even better than the old one, I swear. It never gets tired or sore or  _anything_. You should give it a shot.”

“I’m sorry Naruto, I should have apologized before.”

_I can’t bear to see that look on your face._

“Shut up,” he growled, taking a half-step forward.

“You should hate me,” the Uchiha breathed.

_Look at me, damn it!_

“ _You_  should forgive yourself,” Naruto countered.

“How?”

“Bastard, I told you. I  _told_  you how I feel when you take stuff on and get messed up for no good reason and then try to-“ aha! An epiphany “-to punish yourself by being all alone when- when- damn it, Sasuke! Just let it go, will ya? Who cares? You did some stupid shit. Big deal, you were a teenager-”

“I’m still a teenager, idiot.”

“-and yeah, you hurt me. And a lot of other people. But you also saved the world. Ever think of that, genius? Also, you almost died saving my life  _way_  before you pretended to want to kill me.”

“I wasn’t-“

“C’mon,” Naruto forced a grin, “if you really wanted me dead, I would’ve died ten times over by now.”

“Don’t flatter me, dumbass.”

“That wasn’t a compliment, asswipe. Stop trying to distract me.”

“Like I have to  _try_ , usuratonkachi.”

“Shut up, bastard. Anyways, if that’s what this journey is about-“  _hurting me, Sasuke feels guilty for hurting me that one stupid time all those years ago_  “-and don’t get me wrong, I’m having a blast- but- but…”

Naruto really didn’t know where he was going with that sentence. He had something he wanted to say. This burning, electric feeling jolted through his chest, in his stomach, but especially the place on his chest where Sasuke’s hand still was. When words failed him –which is pretty much all the time- actions always seem to do the trick. So, Naruto inched forward a little more.

“Naruto…” Sasuke tried to move away.

_Stop running from me._

Naruto tightened his grip, then leaned forward until their foreheads touched. Well, the leaf symbol on Naruto’s forehead protector rested against Sasuke’s skin. It was oddly fitting.

After all, Konoha was the thing that brought them together, even as it kept them apart.

_Huh._

Naruto blinked. His eyes struggled to focus on Sasuke’s clear, black iris. They were so close- maybe two inches apart, and Sauske was actually letting him- Shit. Shit, he couldn’t hold back anymore.  _Here goes nothing._

“Sasuke, I-“ A sharp, cold prickle stung his neck. “You know I’m in-” a few more raindrops fell in rapid succession. Damn it!

“See, what did I tell you?” The Uchiha took advantage of the distraction, shaking Naruto’s grip and turning on his heels. “We have to get moving.” He pulled up the hood on his cape and resumed a brisk pace. “Slow down, bastard! Are you that scared of getting a little wet?”

“One word.”

“Hm?”

“Pneumonia.”

“What the fuck’s-“

“Just try to keep up, dead-last.” And then, the asshole started running. Of course he did- Sasuke made everything more difficult than it had to be.

Naruto was cold for all the wrong reasons. He zipped up his blazer and, as he’d been doing for most of his life, went after Sasuke.


	3. Dreams

Naruto has nightmares.

The nightmares vary. In one version, he’s sixteen again, standing in the demolished ruins of Orichamaru’s base, staring at a silhouette against the blinding sunlight. He blinks. The silhouette is gone. Sasuke stands in front of him. His eyes are closed; his face uncharacteristically peaceful.

Naruto reaches forward. His hand rests on the a pale, smooth throat.

“Sasuke,” he whispers.

Sasuke opens his eyes.

Naruto wrenches his hand away. He stumbles back, shaking his head in denial.

“No. No, no, no!”

“I’m sorry, Naruto-kun.” Sasuke’s mouth moves to speak in Sasuke’s voice, “you’re too late.”

Familiar lips twist into an unfamiliar expression- something too wide, too cruel for those small, symmetrical features. Once-black irises are now a sickly yellow. The slit-pupiled eyes narrow in sadistically.

When not-Sasuke draws his katana and lunges for his chest, Naruto doesn’t fight back. Pain slices through him, solid, sharp-

-until he jolts awake with a start.

Sasuke, the real Sasuke with one black eye and hair covering the rinnegan, crouched in front of him.

“Bad dream?”

A bead of sweat trailed down his temple. Naruto nodded. “Say,” He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes, “wanna go kill Orochimaru? Again, I mean.”

Sasuke tilted his head. He looked off to the side, seemed to considered it, scoffed, and offered Naruto a flask of water, which he accepted.

As Naruto drank, Sasuke asked, “Why?”  

He choked. The Uchiha sighed and left him to his coughing fit.

“Idiot.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto has dreams.

He’s walking home. The world is drenched in twilight gold. Dead grass crunches softly under his small feet. A blue butterfly flutters lazily about a dandelion. Naruto chases it just as lazily. There’s no rush to get home. It’s not like anyone’s waiting for him. So, he takes his time.

The butterfly leads him to the pier. Naruto crouches and slowly reaches out. Just as he cups his fingers around the creature, it flies away.

A soft, wistful smile tugs at his lips. Naruto turns towards the lake. He sees a familiar figure dressed in black.

Sasuke turns around. Naruto freezes.

Pride- okay, fine, fear of rejection, battled with the overwhelming urge to just- just-

He raises his hand and waves. Dark eyes widen fractionally. Black brows furrow in confusion. Naruto prepares himself for Sasuke to turn around and pretend he didn’t exist, just like everyone else.

Instead, Sasuke waved back.

Naruto grins. He takes it as an invitation, finds himself running down the hill, and stops at the edge where the grass bordered the wooden pier.

“Hey,” he greeted a little breathlessly.

Sasuke stood. He dusted himself off.

“Hi.”

“Um. I was on my way to get some ramen-“ he wasn’t “-if you…”

Sasuke shrugged.

“Why not.”

Those two words made his heart swell like it could burst out of his chest. Finally, they could-

Naruto woke up with tears in his eyes. Sasuke leveled him with a long, hard stare.

“It’s nothing,” he said, because it was; just a memory and a wish all mixed up. Just another thing that could have happened, but didn’t.

In that way, his dreams and nightmares were the same.

 

* * *

 

Amegakure was so…

“Fucking depressing,” Naruto grumbled as yet another storm interrupted their progress, “what are we doing here, anyways?”

Sasuke said nothing. He walked towards a bakery and tossed a sidelong look over his shoulder. Naruto groaned. Maybe, he could stay outside just to be stubborn.

In the end, he followed Sasuke.

A bell chimed when they opened the wooden door.

Water pooled at Naruto’s feet. Blond hair drooped over his forehead protector, covering the leaf symbol.

The bakery was small and dingy. Spider-thin cracks marred the ceiling. Flowery, faded wallpaper peeled and frayed where the wall touched the floor. A single lightbulb hung from an exposed wire, swaying and flickering feebly.

But the smell. And the bread- all that fucking bread. Wow.

“I’ll take one of everything,” Sasuke informed the girl at the counter.

“R-really?”

He nodded.

“Naruto, give me the money.”

“Hey, hey, hold on a second. We can’t-“ the bastard gave him A Look “-fine, whatever.”

Guess they’ll be finding another dingy cave to sleep in instead of a nice, warm inn. Oh well.

Sasuke paid for the bread and  _generously_  told the girl to keep the change. Naruto was caught between irritation -who was that bastard to throw their money away recklessly?- and, uh, that other thing.

(Admiration.)

Shut up.

Sasuke turned to leave.

“Wait!” the girl called. “You’re not from here, are you?”

“No, we’re not,” Naruto said when Sasuke refused to answer.

“I have an extra room, if you…” The question was obliquely addressed to Sasuke. Actually, she didn’t spare poor Naruto a single glance since they walked in. Yeah, typical.

“Sorry, lady,” he piped in before the silence got awkward, “we can’t afford it.”

“I won’t charge you. It’s the least I can do.”

“Seriously? Awesome! We’ll take it. Oi, oi, where are you going? Teme, wait up!”

And then, he followed Sasuke to a bad –well,  _worse_ \- part of town.

“What are we doing here?” Naruto asked in a low whisper.

His question was ignored.

Just as he was about to grab that jerk by the collar and pound some answers out of him, Sasuke stopped. He walked into a wooden shack, and promptly found a blade pushed against his neck.

Naruto almost had a heart attack.

“Teme! Stop being so careless! Hey, hey, get off him.”

Bright, violet eyes flickered between the intruders.

“What do you want?”

She was a child, Naruto realized; no older than ten, dressed in rags. A long, jagged scar bisected her left eyebrow. The skin on her neck was covered in grime, bruises, and painful-looking welts.

Sasuke didn’t back away from the kunai.

“How many others are here?” he asked, though he probably knew the answer.

Naruto sensed five children, all smaller than this girl, huddled and shivering in the far corner.

She hissed, pressing the blade enough to draw a trickle of blood.

“Leave us alone.”

Sasuke held out the bag of bread.

“This is food,” he said, “I trust you’ll share it fairly.”

The girl faltered. “I- what? Is this some kind of joke?”

In a flash, Sasuke took her knife and tossed it to the side.

“Take it or leave it,” he said, and walked away.

Naruto had questions.

So. Many. Questions.

His cheeks puffed with the effort of holding everything in as they walked back to the bakery.

The girl, Akane, showed them to her apartment above the bakery.

“I’m just down the hall if you,” blush, fidget, glance at Sasuke, “need anything.”

Sasuke hn-ed. Naruto hmph-ed. Who needs ninja skills to be invisible. All a guy had to do was stand next to that bastard.

“So,” Naruto wasted no time peeling his wet clothes off, “mind telling me what that was all about?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I mind. I’m taking a bath.”

Naruto, on the other hand, was sick to death of water and being wet. He dug some dry clothes out of his pack and changed, then wrapped a shirt around his dripping hair.

The bed…

Oh. There was only one.

Sasuke wouldn’t like that.

Eh, they’ll work something out.

 

* * *

 

It turned out not to be a problem.

Sasuke claimed the side of the bed beside the lamp. He pulled out a book and started reading. Naruto tried to get comfortable on the side by the window, closed his eyes, and…

Nope. He wasn’t tired; he was bored enough to crawl out of his skin.

“Sasuke,” he whispered.

No response.

“Psst, Sasuke,” he rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin in his hands.

More silence. Fuck this! Naruto sat up and poked the stoic jerk.

“Oi, teme!”

“Keep your voice down, dobe.”

Finally.

“Whatcha doin’?”

“What does it look like?”

Damn that smartass and his obsession with books. How could Sasuke stare at all that  _boring_   _paper_   when the amazing, colorful, good-looking Uzumaki Naruto was right there?

“Hmph. Kay then, whatcha reading?”

“Hn.”

“That’s not an answer!”

This earned him A Look Of Death.

“Wait, is that, like, like, a book on a super secret jutsu? Are you still trying to one-up me? Hell no! Lemme see, damnit!” Naruto leaned over Sasuke’s shoulder. Sasuke pushed him away.

“Idiot, back off. It’s none of your business.”

“Like hell! You’ve been, like,” Naruto continued to flail for the book, “weirdly secretive all day! I’m sick of it!”

Sasuke stretched back, keeping it out of reach. “Oh, as if  _you_  tell  _me_ everything.”

“Uh…” Naruto sat back and crossed his arms, “Since there’s no one else to talk to, yeah.”

Sasuke shot him an incredulous glance.

“What, are you calling me a liar?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“If you’re lying.”

“You!” Naruto jabbed an accusing finger.

“Something’s bothering you.”

“Duh!” He threw his hands up, “Your shitty attitude is getting on my last nerve!”

“Stop deflecting.”

Okay, something was up. Naruto scrunched his face and tried to puzzle out the… well, puzzle of that cryptic jerk.

“Is that why you’ve been ignoring me all day? Trying to teach me a lesson about ‘hiding things’- which I’m not, by the way- by being all mysterious and shit?”

“…Surprisingly astute,” he muttered.

“Joke’s on you, because I tell you everything.  _Literally_ everything. Like, like, remember last week when I ate those weird colored noodles and my shit turned green –green!- and-“

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Stop talking.”

“Yup, that’s what you said then too. See? I’m an open book, so…”

“You’ve been mumbling and crying in your sleep, asking me strange questions every morning, and if you look at me like  _that_  one more time-“

Naruto tilted his head. “Like what?”

“You know.”

“Uh.”

“You actually don’t know.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying. Geez.”

“Forget it.” He went back to his book.

Naruto stared at the ceiling for a good three hours. Minutes. Fine,  _seconds_ , but he’s not really the most patient guy around.

“I screwed up. That’s what’s bothering me.”

Sasuke set his book down.

“With you, I mean. There lots of stuff that could’ve… Like, if I asked you to get ramen with me…”

“It’s past midnight.”

“Not now, I mean back then. At the academy or when we were kids, would you have said yes?”

Sasuke thought about it.

“Maybe.”

“And if… When you left the village to go to that crazy pedo-creep-“

“He wasn’t-“

“Yeah, yeah. So you say. The guy  _literally_   wanted your body, bastard.”

“Not like that.”

This was another item on the long list of things Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto would never see eye-to-eye on. For once, Naruto let it slide.

“Okay,” he shrugged, “what if I offered to come with you instead of dragging you back? What would you have said?”

“I don’t know.”

“Damn it, Sasuke!”

“I’m not the same person I was back then. It’s like looking into a mind of a stranger. I can’t… It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”

“But- look, I just. I’m sorry.”

Sasuke pursed his lips, waiting for Naruto to elaborate.

“I wanted to help you, y’know,” he picked at a loose thread on the checkered blanket, “But how’s taking you back to the place where your family… Where everyone treated you like… And they threw you in jail. When the war ended, they tied you up and- and- after everything they put you through, after you saved the world…”

Naruto went on for a while. He talked about how, his whole life, he only allowed himself to feel what he was supposed to feel. He was  _supposed_  see the best in people. He was  _supposed_  to be forgiving. Everyone tried their best, didn’t they? People always had their reasons.

Besides, the villagers accepted him in the end, just as he accepted them. It was a conditional acceptance, but acceptance nonetheless. Isn’t that what he wanted?

But what about Sasuke? How could Naruto love the place that destroyed his best friend’s family, freedom, and sanity? Even if he became Hokage, he couldn’t help Sasuke. He’d just make himself miserable and…

“That’s when I realized what I really felt. Right now, to be honest,” he took a deep breath, “I can’t stand Konoha. How they treated me. What they did to you.” His jaw worked as anger washed over him. “I shouldn’t have brought you back and I’m glad that they let you go even if I couldn’t. Uh. Let you go too, I mean.”

“Is that so,” Sasuke commented wryly.

“Teme, I just poured my damn heart out.”

“You do that all the time, idiot.”

Naruto pouted. “I really wanna punch you right now.”

“Go ahead.”

“Like I’d attack a cripple.”

“This  _cripple_  kicked your ass the last, oh, five times we sparred, but who’s counting?”

Naruto did punch Sasuke for that, but in a gentle, playful way.

“Anyway, I accept you apology. It took a few years; that can’t be helped considering how slow-“

“Teme!”

“-your poor pea-sized brain is. If you’re done-“

“Nuh-uh, I answered your question-“

“What question?”

“The, um, implicit… implied… y’know what I mean! Now you gotta answer mine.”

Sasuke sighed.

“Seriously, what’re you reading?”

“Icha Icha Tactics, volume three.”

Naruto snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“Kakashi gave me the first one and said it could keep me company on this ‘lonely journey,’” Sasuke turned the page, “Perhaps he was trying to make amends.”

“You have a really weird sense of humor.”

“At first, I thought it was boring, but now…”

This was really too much.

“I d-don’t believe you!” Naruto stammered. He yanked the book from Sasuke’s hands, took one look at the contents and- “Nu-uh. Nope. You can’t read this, no way.”

Sasuke tsk-ed, frowning. “Give it back.”

“No! As your best friend, it’s my duty to- to protect your innocence! This crap’s for perverts, Sasuke, you can’t be exposed to it.”

“Like you’re one to talk.”

A beat passed as Naruto remembered that time he tried to seduce Sasuke with his sexy jutsu. Call him crazy, but he swore Sasuke was thinking about the same thing.

Whoo. Was it hot in here or…

Uh. Nevermind.

Naruto’s blushed. He glanced up and saw a twinge of color on Sasuke’s cheeks.

“Are you,” he coughed and cleared his throat for a good ten seconds, “thinking about the time when-“

“-you kissed me if front of the whole academy?”

“I- what- no! I didn’t, I mean why- that was an accident, y’know!”

“Oh.”

Wait.

Somehow, Sasuke seemed disappointed. You had to listen and watch real close to catch it, but no mistake. All these years, did the bastard think that Naruto did  _that_ on purpose?

“Have your damn book back,” he grumbled, tossing it at Sasuke’s face, “’m gonna sleep.”

He crawled under the covers, curling up as close to the edge as he could. Rain pattered relentlessly on the window. An occasional flash of lightning illuminated the room. Naruto drifted off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

They were at the Valley of the End. Naruto lay on the ground, staring vacantly at the sky. Clouds closed around a single sun beam until it disappeared. Sasuke knelt above him, hovering inches from his face. Naruto closed his eyes.

Soft warmth brushed over his lips for a too-short moment.

In his ear, a voice whispered, “Naruto, I…”

When he opened his eyes, he was alone, soaked to the bone in never-ending rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:
> 
> 1) Fuck Konoha. Between that trash village and his best friend (soul mate) we all know what Naruto would choose.  
> 2) Naruto owes Sasuke one hell of an apology. Sasuke shouldn't have been imprisoned, but he was. That should've been the last straw for Naruto as far as Kohoha was concerned.  
> 3) Kakashi sucks at emotions. He gives his student porn in lieu of a real apology.  
> 4) Canon!Sasuke is actually pretty sexual (what with that slutty kimono and whispering in Naruto's ear and yeah other stuff) but he never had the time to develop or explore that side of himself. So the Icha Icha thing funny but also in-character as far as I'm concerned.
> 
> Lemme know what you think!


	4. Cracks

Sasuke was warm. Soft, somehow, though his bones stuck out too much. Naruto idly traced the outline of his ribs. He felt each every dip and ridge- the places where the bones broke and healed- and frowned.

_That picky jerk should eat more. What would his mom say if she saw him like this?_

Out of all the depressing thoughts to have first thing in the morning, ‘what would Sasuke Uchiha’s mom say?’ went for some sorta fucked up record.

To distract himself, Naruto buried his nose in Sasuke' thick, black hair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

_I should... before he wakes up and..._

But Sasuke was so, so warm.

_At this rate, I'll never wanna move again._

He was too damn comfortable. Besides, both of them should've known _it_ would happen. Like, this wasn’t the first or the second or even the tenth time they shared quarters. _It_ happened every time Kakashi forced them to sleep in the same tent or room and, inevitably, a single bed, futon, or sleeping bag.

(Okay so Naruto forgot to pack a sleeping bag that one time. And he kept forgetting- mostly by accident but sometimes just because. Shut up about it.)

Naruto needed to hold something or he couldn’t fall asleep. At home, he settled for a giant pillow. On missions... Eventually, Sasuke stopped kicking him awake and settled for shooting icy glares in the morning. After a while, even those went away.  The unspoken agreement to never, ever talk about _it_ (y’know, the cuddling) worked well enough.

_At least he slept okay last night._

Meaning, Sasuke didn't suffer another one of his usual horrifying nightmares.

Naruto hated when that happened. He felt completely useless.

_Every night, he goes places I can’t follow._

If there was a way, Naruto would break into Sasuke’s dreams. Even if he can’t fight ghosts or memories or those types of monsters, at least Sasuke won’t be alone.

_And I promised that-_

Sasuke murmured. He sighed, then squirmed. Naruto forced himself to let go so the other boy could settle. He held his breath. Sasuke rolled to face him. His eyes were still closed. His brows knitted together. He clutched the front of Naruto’s shirt, shuffled closer, and stilled.

“Nii-san,” he whispered in his sleep.

Oh. Fucking- ow. Two syllables lanced through Naruto’s chest like he was getting chidori-ed all over again. He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled his best friend closer.

If only.

But that’s not how things were between them. Look -don’t tell anyone- but Naruto once fantasized about being Sasuke’s big brother. He pictured an adorable baby version of that jerk -from the time before he became a jerk, duh- following him around, begging to train together, and acting like Naruto was the coolest thing since sliced bread and miso ramen put together.

He imagined being in Itachi’s place, telling the council and Danzo and all the rest where they could stick it if they ever asked him to, like, murder a bunch of innocent people.

Seriously, what the hell was up with all that? People could be so.... Ugh!

In the end, Itachi made the wrong choice. He didn't love Sasuke more than Konoha. They were more or less the same in his eyes. Maybe -and maybe Naruto was a shitty guy for thinking it- but maybe Itachi loved the village a _smidge_ more than his little brother, the innocent child who loved him more than everyone and everyone else in the world put together. 

It wasn't right.

Naruto would've taken Sasuke and run far away because a kid like that deserved to safe, happy, and free from all that bullshit.

And sure, Itachi loved Sasuke. He did his best.

But Naruto could have done so much better.

"I will do better," he whispered.

Black lashes fluttered, brushing feather-soft across Naruto’s sensitized skin. He watched Sasuke’s irises shift behind his eyelids. Their faces were close. Almost as close as the time-

“What,” was the first word out of Sasuke’s once innocently-parted lips. He blinked once.

Twice.

Naruto didn’t move.

“How,” Sasuke said next, prompting a light chuckle from the blond.

“Good morning to you too, bastard.”

“Moron,” Sasuke grumbled, sitting up and scrubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand, “don’t tell me this is another-“ yawn, pause, glare, “accident.”

Naruto’s heart kicked into fourth gear and sent a bunch of blood rushing to all sorts of places.

"Uh. Well, you see..." He trailed off, glancing away and forcing a cough when the silence stretched too long. 

“Whatever,” Sasuke dismissed as he sat up to stretch. He arched his back like a cat, then rolled his shoulders.

Naruto watched. Small details, things he must have seen a thousand times before, things that were objectively boring and nothing special at all, mesmerized him completely. The smooth shift of shoulder blades under a thin layer of cloth had him swallowing around nothing. The too-wide neck of Sasuke's shirt slid unevenly over his narrow frame, exposing skin once marred by an ugly black mark. Naruto's fingers twitched with the impulse to touch it- just that patch of skin, just once- and maybe straighten the crooked collar.

Okay so... Yeah. He _used_ to wish they were brothers. Not so much anymore. Actually, he thanked all the gods in every universe that he was definitely _not_ related to Sasuke for some glaringly obvious reasons.

“Heh," Naruto cleared his throat and clutched the sheets to keep his hands occupied, "You slept like a baby and woke up cranky like one too. Guess some things never change, Sasuke- _chan_.”

“Hn.”

“Anyways, I was wondering-“

By then, Sasuke slid out of bed, walked out the door, and slammed it shut.

Typical bastard behavior. Naruto let out a wistful sigh. He rolled on his back, spreading his limbs like a starfish as he examined the cracks on the ceiling. Right now, they were thin enough to be harmless, but dark and crumbling around the edges. The weight of the rain pressed down on the bakery's flimsy roof. Pretty soon, something would give. You can't leave cracks alone like that. They spread like weeds or fire or strange thoughts about your best friend who-

Walked in shirtless with a towel around his neck, wearing nothing but a pair of low-riding sweatpants. Sasuke went to the corner of the room and dug through his backpack for a change of clothes.

Naruto stared. He really, really couldn’t help it.

Sasuke’s hair grew over the past few weeks. It stuck to his skin in sharp, swirling patterns. Naruto counted each drop of water that slid from his still-damp head and down the front of his bare chest.

_What would he do if we-_

"Take a picture, loser." Sasuke snapped, shifting the towel so it covered what remained of his arm. Y'know, after Naruto blew half of it to bits.

"Wha- no, teme wait, I wasn't-"

By then, he left again, leaving Naruto to contemplate heavy rain, cracked ceilings, and dreams he’d rather forget.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok take a look at my bookmarks for irrefutable proof that ppl prefer Things that seem (more) popular to other Things... Despite both those Things having the same. exact. content. 
> 
> (Listen, the dumbass author was forced to orphan certain works because ao3 decided to NOT display her work in searches,, cut that bitch some slack,,, she's trying her best.)
> 
> It's 2018, guys. We should be past this. 
> 
> Anyway, here's your annual reminder that I'm not dead. The next N:TLA chapter is like 30% done. The second (and final) part of 'Serious' is 50% done. Next chapter of Pulling Pigtails, which updated a fukkin year ago, is about 40% complete. There's also a new one-shot that you guys will love, which is like 70% done. 
> 
> Check out my tumblr (tsunderesasuke) and all the other works mentioned above and don't forget to review, especially if you have an Emotion. Or several. When reading this shit. Writing is hard work and comments give me LIFE.


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